Elemental Fate
by APhoenixRising
Summary: In a world where people are defined by the element that makes up their personality the most, two of the same element can't be together. But what happens when two fire elements are in love?


_**Written for the Quidditch League Competition: Round 11, the Open Category Competition: Het and the 'As Many As You Want' Comp**_

**Quidditch League:**

**Round 11: **All Through The Years (1380)

**Captain: **Write about the new year

**Word Count: **1931

**As Many As You Want: **Uncharted waters, OC, Crimson, Quidditch, Dragon, Never, Love, Gold, Phoenix Feather, Night and Day, Engagement ring, Lace dress, 'This isn't happening', 'Where are you going?', Please, Sobbing hysterically, Mumbling incoherently, Black shirt, Grains of Sand, Shiver, Completely worthless, Curtain of hair, Hiding her face, Shut up and kiss me, Me, Lips, Shut up, Falling fast and hard, Star, The sun was rising, January, Asleep in his arms

**Elemental Fate**

In the beginning, the world had only four elements: fire, earth, water and air. These elements were the most powerful forces the natural world had ever seen. They created everything, and everything was created from them. It was believed that humankind evolved from these elements, and that each person displayed a unique personality due the percentage levels of each element inside them. A high percentage of fire caused the person to be brave and rebellious, whereas a large air portion meant calmness.

Now, the magical people wanted a peaceful community, without conflict, so those of the same element were banned from wedding each other. 'Just imagine what would happen if two fires were to produce a child!' they had said shortly before implementing the rule, and this rule had stood. Each new year, when children became of age they had to partake in a ceremony which would show the village Elder which element they were. Once the Elder had declared them a certain element, they must live as that element for the rest of their life.

This process was the same every year, and never had there been any abnormality to speak of. That is until the Montrose Elemental Ceremony of 1379...

~o~

Aileas was a fire. She knew that from a very early age and that was epitomised by the phoenix feather that was the core of her ceremony was but a formality for her, as it was for some of the lucky few. She was reckless, daring and had a tendency to blow up when things didn't go her way. She was a world away from her air mother and water father who despaired whenever she went out after dusk and came back in the early morning with more than a sliver of skin on show. 'You'll disgrace the whole family,' they said every time she returned with her corset lace loose or when she returned from Hogwarts. Her parents kept a stack of letters detailing the trouble she got into at the school, from sneaking out at night to flashing a leg at the Potions Master. They thought that keeping them would humble their erratic daughter, but they were wrong: if anything, it inflamed her more and she burned each and every letter, laughing to herself. Soon her parents thought of more and more drastic measures to keep her in check, but nothing could reign her in.

Now Aileas had a secret that no one knew, it was the reason for why she snuck out at night and her corset was haphazardly laced up in the mornings: she had fallen in love. Moray was his name and they were both at Hogwarts together, he had dark hair and a smile that made Aileas weak at the knees. He was everything she wasn't: calm, level-headed and a real charmer, but it was those differences that made her feel whole when they spent time together. For all their differences, it was the one similarity that bound them together: their disregard for the rules. The pair took joy in making their Professors' lives misery night and day, they played games in the back of classrooms and played a crude form of Kwidditch in the middle of the night. Her parents believed her to have shamed the family, but she had so much more than they could even imagine. After a game of Kwidditch in the middle of their fifth year, Aileas had let Moray touch her. He had ran his hand up her thigh, seeing more of her than anyone else had ever seen, and had kissed her on the lips. Even Aileas was shocked by his daring, but she soon enjoyed the feeling so much that her shock went away as quickly as her reputation would if they were ever found out. From then on, every night became a game to them. They'd go further and further with each other, exploring more and more into uncharted waters until one night they were both in their undergarments only. 'Well, we're this far,' Aileas had said at the time. Moray grinned his charming smile and went to pull the undergarment over her head, his hands shaking slightly. After that night, there was no way back for the couple. If anyone knew she was no longer a virgin she'd be cast as an outcast or made to work as a prostitute, it was imperative that the couple were different elements. Aileas was confident though, after all she was a fire and she knew that Moray definitely wasn't.

~o~

On the sand of Montrose beach a large fire was roaring, throwing up crimson flames as though a dragon lay beneath the wood and kindling. The village Elder was seated just across the fire from Aileas, his eyes closed. The flames reflected off his gold chains caused a dancing effect, and it was as though he was moving in time to the rhythm of the flames. He wasn't. He was as still as the moon that was high in the sky that night. Four seventeen year olds, including her and Moray, were seated around the fire waiting for the decision that would influence their whole lives.

'The time has come.' The deep and calming voice of the village Elder reverberated around the silent beach, and the four young adults leaned forward. 'The new year is nigh and it is time for your fate to be revealed. Aileas, please come forward.'

The young woman stood up and a gasp ran around the crowd of villagers that had all come to watch. Aileas wasn't surprised; she'd pushed her parents to the very edge that night. Her dress was a pure black but she'd charmed a red slash to run diagonally through it, but that wasn't what was scandalous. The sleeves of her dress were black lace, clearly showing the flesh of her arm through them but even that wasn't the main cause of the gasp. No, it was the fact that she had lowered the chest of her dress so that the top of her breasts were clearly visible to anyone who looked upon her. Aileas walked around the fire towards the Elder, very conscious of the fact that everyone was staring at her. She stared straight back with a straight face and a glint in her eye. She jiggled herself slightly and another gasp went round the camp, causing Aileas to smile to herself as she reached the Elder. She held the hands of the Elder and waited for her fate to be decided, it didn't take long.

'Fire, my Dear. That is what you are,' he spoke with his clear voice. Aileas pulled her small hands from his and retook her place around the fire, sitting back down on her cloak. She sent a knowing smile at Moray before staring into the fire, the element that _was _her.

She didn't pay attention to the next two people, she didn't care about them or their elements but when Moray's name was called she turned her concentration back to the ceremony. She watched the back of his neck become red as the heat of the flames warmed his Scottish skin, his fate was taking a long time to decide. Aileas couldn't wait for the ceremony to be over and for Moray to be classed as a water, earth or air. Her and Moray's engagement could then officially be announced to the village, he'd presented her with an engagement ring two months previously but they had to wait until they were both of age and had an element assigned to them.

'Fire,' announced the Elder. It took Aileas a moment to comprehend what he'd just said but soon the dreading feeling overcame her.

'No!' she gasped. 'No, no, no. This isn't happening.' She stood up, gathered her cloak and ran from the fire.

She heard her parents calling after her,' Aileas, where are you going? Please come back!' She ran from them though, ran from everyone and from the future she'd thought she'd have just moments ago. In the back of her mind, she thought she heard someone coming after her, but when she turned back she saw no one. However, that's because the person was now in front of her. She fell into Moray's chest, hard, and they both fell to the ground between all the trees. After seeing it was him, she starting sobbing hysterically into his shoulder.

'Aileas, shh it's ok,' Moray tried to comfort Aileas but she wasn't listening, her sobs had subsided and she was mumbling incoherently into his black shirt. He tried again, 'Aileas, please listen to me.' He brushed grains of sand off her dress and a shiver went through her. 'At least put your cloak on, you're freezing.' Aileas nodded her agreement and let Moray place her cloak around her shoulders.

'Moray, we were meant to be together. What happens now?' she asked him. Her voice was thick with tears.

'I... I don't know, Aileas,' he muttered in reply. His answer didn't reassure her; he always knew what to do, how to get them out of trouble. Why couldn't he now?!

'I- I'll be cast out, completely worthless.' She leant forward and a curtain of hair fell, hiding her face and casting it into shadow.

'You're not worthless, you mean more to me than anyone else.'

'But I will be to everyone else, have you forgotten what we've done?!' Her voice raised as she neared the end of the sentence and Moray had to quickly shush her.

'Do you think I can honestly forget that, those have been the best nights of my life. Now, shut up and kiss me.' He grabbed Aileas' face and pulled her lips to his. She was eager to reply and get lost in the kiss, feeling the need to forget what had just transpired. It was a long time before either of them broke away.

'I love you, Aileas,' Moray said in a low and caring voice. He caressed the side of her face and gently kissed her cheek.

'I love you too, Moray,' Aileas replied, but once again the tears came falling fast and hard and she knew that she could never be with him.

'You look really good tonight, very daring of you.' She chuckled a watery laugh, and smiled at Moray.

'It's foolish of me, I just wanted to depart from the norm and stand out.'

'Well, you certainly did that in more ways than one. You've never been one to conform have you?' Suddenly Aileas had an idea, a reckless idea, but wasn't that why she was a fire element?

'Let's run away!' Moray paused and eyed Aileas intently.

'What? We can't do that!'

'We can. Listen! We can't stay here if we want to be together, and I want that more than anything. Let's run away, we can be together, make our own little house somewhere in the Highlands. We'll be away from my family and any sort of rules, we can be together, Moray!'

'I... I...' He took a deep breath. 'Ok, we'll do it. Just you and me, Aileas.'

'Really?'

'Really.' He nodded to Aileas, and she smiled a genuine smile. 'We'll leave in the morning. Now come here.' He pulled her to his side and they laid back into the shrubbery, staring up at the now dim stars.

As the sun was rising on the first day of January 1380, she fell asleep in his arms. Her last thought being that she knew there was a reason why the both of them were fire elements.


End file.
